Terminal for pneumatic-tube systems.



H/JTNES N o. 891,324. v PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

- G..H.BURTON.

TERMINAL FOR PNEUMATIOTUBE SYSTEMS. APPLICATION FILED 111N329, 1907.

[NI 151v TOR Alfornay UNITED STATES PATENT onnion. j v

CHARLES H. BURTON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORTOUNITED STATES PNEUMATIC COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ACORPORA- TION OF MAINE.

No. $91,324. i

TERMINAL non PNEUMATIC-TUBE SYSTEMS.

' Application filed June 20, 1907. Serial No. 379,919;

(CaseAQ of which the following is a specification. I

The present invention consists of certain new and useful improvements inpneumatic store service apparatus, and has particular relation to theterminals of such systems.

R means mounted within the terminal adapted- As is well known in thisart, the pneumatic store servicev systems comprise generally atransmission tube for the carrier; a suction tube in communication withthe transmission tube, and a terminal in which the carrier is receivedfrom the transmission tube and from which it is deliveredinto a deliverypocket. The "common form of terminals now inuse are those that have avalve located at their junction with the transmission tube, the saidvalve being normally retained in a position to close the end of thetransmission tube, it being opened by the impact of the carrier. The oposite end of the terminal is usually provided with a door, or valve,which is adapted to be opened by the wei ht of the carrier, to permitthe carrier to rop or be removed therefrom.

It isto this general type of terminals that my present inventionpertains, and the object of the invention is to provide a valve forclosing the end of the transmission tube, the said valve being normallyretained in an open position; an air admission valve that is normallyretained in a closed position, and

to be actuatedby-the entrance of the car'- rier, to cause the airadmission valve to open and the valve at the end of the terminal toclose. 7

Other and further objects and advantages ofthe invention will beapparent from the following detailed description when taken in'connection with the annexed drawing.

Like characters ofreference refer to corresponding parts throughout .thespecification and in theaccompanying sheet of drawin s. 1

the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my invention in alongitudinal sectional view, 'a pcn tionv only of both the transmissiontube and suction tube'being shown.

tends to" the usual suction appliance, not

shown; The junction of the suction pipe and the transmission tube ispreferably covf. ered by a grated guard 3. transmission tube 2 1sbeveled ofl, forming said beveled end or'seat l, is an enlarged terminal5.

6 designates a valve that has a pivotal, or

' :Iatented June 23,1908.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates transmission tube Which isof theusual type, and 2 designates the suction-pipe, which ex- The end 4 oflthe an inclined valve seat, and extending from hinge, mounting 7 in theupper portion of the tion,-it will close onto the beveled end 4 of thetransmission tube. vided' which normally retains the valve in its openposition.

9 deslgnates a valve that has its seat within the upper wall of theterminal with itsv terminal and is located in-a position sothat I whenswung to 1ts lowered or closing, pos1-..

A spring=8is prostem 10 projecting down into the terminal.'-

A pin 11 is passed through the stem 10, and:

beglween the pin 11 and the wall of the ter-. mi al, a spring 12 iscoiled upon the stem 10.

This spring is so arranged that it'tends to normally retain the valve ina closed position.

13 designates a trigger which is pivotally mounted upon the upper partof the ter-- minal, between the valve 6 and '9, and has forwardly andrearw'ardly projecting arms 14, 15, respectively. olined downwardly, therearwardly-project ing arm 15,being inclined at a greater degreethan'theforward-arm 14, and these arms are so disposed that when intheir operative po sition, the forwardly extending arm 14', will beover, and in, close proximity, to the nor.- mally open valve 6, and therearwardly projecting arm. 15 will extend under, and in close proximityto the end of the valve stem 10 of the air admission valve 9 From thedescription as thu and by reference to the drawings, it wilL be apparentthat the relative size of the transmission tube and the terminal is suchthat the hinged portion of the valve 6 is located above the upper partof the end 4 of the These arms are infar set forth,

transmission tube 1, and that as the end 4 is beveled ofi, a seat forthe valve is formed that will hold the valve when seated at an inclinerelatively to its hinge connection with 5 the upper wall of theterminal.

And it Will be'ifurther seen that when the valve 6 is in its openposition, it will leave'the opening of the transmission tube entirelyclear; thereby in-z terposing no obstruction whatever to the readyentrance of the carrier into the terminal.

' The rearwardly extending arm of the' trigger 13 is inclined downwardconsiderably more than the forwardly extending arm 14, its endportionbeing well within the path of the moving carrier, so as,to be struck andmoved upwardly by said carrier.

16 designates a door at the bottom of the- 5 rives on said door, theadditional weight is suflicient to cause said door to swing open.

18 desi ates a buffer at the end of the terminal. have illustrated thisbuffer as the usual form of cushion made from covered hair or the like,but such form of cushion is not essential to my invention, it beingobvi-' ous that any preferred form of cushion may 1 be used.

" 1-9 designates a delivery pocket, which pro- -jects below and from theforward portion of the terminal. livery pocket is enlarged, and has" itstop portion beveled ofi, at 20, the beveled ortion extending downwardlyand rearward y from its point of junction with the terminal. The objectof this beveling iofl of the upper en larged portion of the deliverypocket is to provide ample space for the downward swing of the door 16,and at the same time provide an efiicient stop to limit such downwardswing. In the practical operation of my invention the circuit of the airis through .the transmission tube 1 and down the suction pipe 2, and asthere is normally no admission of air to theterminal, a vacuum or deadair chamber is formed therein. When it is desired to transmit a carrier,the carrier is laced within the transmission tube, an 55 drawntherethrough,

by the carrier, causing it to strike an raisethe valve stem 10 therebyraising the valve 9 from-its seat,and allowing air to enter and breakthe vacuum the terminal. At 5 the same time the arm 15 is opening theThe upper portion of this deis rapidlyl its momentum being suflicient tocause it to pass over the grated valve 9, the arm 14 is pus downward onthe valve 6, giving it an initia closing move-f ment, which closelyfollowed by the air from the. open valve 10, causes the in valvefi to bedrawn quickly to its seat upon the beveled 'end of the transmission tubeby the suction. Following this, the weight of 'the carrier has overcomethe resistance of the spring hinge of the door 16, and said doorswingsopen until its end falls down into the delivery pocket and rests againstthe rear wall'thereof, whereupon the carrier is free to slide down saiddoor and into the delivery pocket: When the carrier slides from thedoor, said door immediately swings back to its closed position. As soonas the carrier leaves the door, there will be no obstruction to prevent,the return of the trigger 13 to its normal position, such return beingcaused by the upward pressure of the spring actuated g5 valve 6 upon thearm 14, and the downward pressure exerted upon arm 15 by the springactuated valve stem 9.

From the foregoing description it willbe'. readily'seen that the entireoperation is auto 0 matic, in so far as the transmission and delivery ofthe carrier is concerned. And it Will also be understood that theproviding of the junction of the suction tube and the' transmission tubewith a grated guard, ,provides aneffective means for preventing anyparts ofgthe carrier beingdrawn down the suction tube should the carrierbecome separated orparts become broken therefrom.

In thesforegoing descriptionl have de- 0 scribed. one form of-myinvention, it being obvious that modifications thereof ma be made, and Itherefore reserve for myseli any and all forms of the invention whichfall with.- in the spirit. and scope of the appended 05 claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a pneumatic store service apparatus,

, a transmission tubefor the carrier; a suction tube in communicationwith the transmis sion tube; a terminal at the end of the transmissiontube; a valve arranged within the terminal at the end of the receivingtube: a second valve within the terminal for admitting air, and meanswithin the terminal adapted to be acted upon by the carrier to open theair admission valve and impel the valve at the end of thetransmission-tube to .close by suction.

2. Ina pneumatic store service apparatus,

a transmission tube for the carrier; 'a suction tube in communicationwith the trans mission tube; a terminal at the end of the receivingtube; a valve mounted'within the terminal adjacent to the end of thetransmission tube; an air admission valve in the terminal; means forautomatically opening the air admission -'valve and impel the va ve atthe end of the transmission tube to I close by suction when the carrierenters the 13L:

minal adapted to be opened by the weight of the carrier.

3. A terminal for pneumatic store service systems, provided at one endwith a valve normally retained in an 0 en position; an

air admission valve norma ly retained in a closed position, and meansadapted to be actuated by the entrance of a carrier to open the airadmission valve, and thereby impel the closing of the valve at the endofthe terminal by'suction. p

4. A terminal for pneumatic store service systems providedat itsentrance with a valvenormally retained in an open position; an air admsslon valve normally retained in a closed pos tlon; a triggermounted'within the-terminal adapted tobe actuated bythe entrance of the carrierto cause the air admission valve to open and impel the valve at theentrance of the terminal to close by suction, and a door in the terminaladapted to be opened by the weight of the carrier.

5. In a terminal-for'pneumatic store service systems, a valve located atthe entrance thereto and normally retained in its open position; an airadmission valve normally retairied in a closed position; a triggermountv ed Within the terminal having 0 positely extended arms, one ofwhich is'a a ted to be moved by the entrance of the, carrier to open Ithe air admission valve and the other to impel the valve at theentranceof the terminal to close by suction, and a door at the bottom of theterminal adapted to be opened by the Weight of the carrier.

terminal, and a door at thebot tom of the terl 6. In a. pneumatic storeservice system, a

transmission tube; a'suctiontube in communication with the transmissiontube; a

grated guard for the junction of the trans-- mission tube and thesuction tube; an enlarged terminal at the end of the transmission tube;a valve at the entrance to the terminal; an air admission valve; a triger adapted to be strucliby the entrance 0 a carrier to open the airvalve and impel the valve at the entrance of the terminaL to close theend of the transmission tube; adoor at the bottom of the terminaladapted to be opened by the weight of carrier; as rin hinge forreturning said door to its 0 ose en the said door the air admissionvalve, and impel the c os' ing of the valve at the end of theterminal bysuction; and a door at thebottom of the carrier adapted to be swumg openby the Weight of the carrier. I In testimon whereof I hereunto affix mysignature in t e resence of two, Witnesses.

O ARLES H. BURTON; Witnesses:

D. P. WOLHAUPTER,

R. C; BRADDOCK.

